News

Mar 17, 2026

Government publishes framework for delivery of neighbourhood health service

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a policy paper on how integrated care boards (ICBs), local authorities, health and wellbeing boards and other partners should create and deliver neighbourhood health services.

Mar 17, 2026

Court of Appeal rejects challenge to decision by council to transfer care homes

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal over the High Court’s rejection of a legal challenge against a decision by Kirklees Council to transfer the ownership of two specialist dementia care homes to a private provider.

Mar 17, 2026

Counties warn NPPF reforms risk ‘developer free-for-all’ and loss of local control

County councils have called for the Government to relax planning rules in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to avoid a 'developer free for all' they claim will lead to unsuitable development.

Mar 17, 2026

Environmental watchdog and council secure injunction to protect Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wales

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Monmouthshire County Council have secured a High Court injunction to prevent unauthorised activity and environmental damage on Whitewall Common, part of the Magor and Undy Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Mar 17, 2026

Court of Appeal to hear appeal from outdoor education facility over planning permission for waste facility

The Court of Appeal will this week (18 March) hear an appeal from an outdoor education centre for children over Norfolk County Council’s decision to grant planning permission for a new household waste recycling centre near its site in Cromer.

Mar 16, 2026

Charity urges councils ahead of deadline to write to those affected by wrongful registration as common land

The Open Spaces Society has issued a reminder of the “impending deadline” in one year’s time for applications to deregister common land in England, and has called on local authorities to write to those who own or occupy land in the most “egregious cases of wrongful registration”.

Mar 16, 2026

Government presses ahead with plan to replace Environmental Impact Assessments

The Government has published a roadmap setting out how a new system of Environmental Outcomes Reports (EORs) will replace existing environmental assessment regimes for planning and infrastructure projects.

Mar 16, 2026

Judge criticises tribunal for failing to explain adequately refusal of proposed provisions in section F of EHCP

The Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber has found the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) erred when it did not explain adequately why it rejected a number of proposed provisions in Section F of an education health and care plan (EHCP) being prepared for an 18-year-old with Hertfordshire County…

Mar 16, 2026

High Court orders suspended quashing of MMO dredging licence for Teesport harbour authority

The High Court has issued an order for the suspended quashing of a licence granted by the Marine Management Organisation (MO) to a Statutory Harbour Authority that permitted the dumping of dredged material at sea.

Mar 16, 2026

Court of Appeal dismisses appeal that psychologist acted “outside limits of his expertise”

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal from care orders made in relation to three children, in circumstances where the appellant mother argued that a jointly instructed expert psychologist had been “acting outside the limits of his expertise”.

Mar 16, 2026

Ethics and Integrity Commission issues call for evidence as part of review of public service ombudsman schemes

The Ethics and Integrity Commission has this month formally launched a review exploring the role of public service ombudsman schemes in identifying “wider systemic failures”.

Mar 16, 2026

Upper Tribunal sets aside costs order against resident who said he had been wholly successful - save for 30 pence – in service charge dispute

A First Tier Tribunal (FTT) ruling on the costs of a service charge dispute involving social landlord London & Quadrant Housing Trust was unfair and must be set aside the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has ruled.

Mar 16, 2026

Regulator to hold early market engagement as part of £29m procurement of teacher misconduct legal services

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) is to hold early market engagement ahead of the procurement of external legal services to support the investigation, preparation and presentation of teacher misconduct cases.

Mar 13, 2026

Court of Appeal refuses Epping Forest permission to appeal in asylum accommodation injunction bid

The Court of Appeal has refused Epping Forest District Council’s application for permission to appeal the High Court’s refusal to grant a final injunction that would block the Home Office from accommodating asylum seekers in the Bell Hotel in Epping.

Mar 13, 2026

Court of Appeal upholds council decision on Harrogate traffic regulation orders

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal from a local property firm over a High Court ruling that four traffic regulation orders (TROs) made by North Yorkshire Council for Harrogate were valid, confirming that the council acted lawfully.

Mar 13, 2026

Government rejects several select committee recommendations on housebuilding and nature

The Government has rejected several recommendations aimed at strengthening environmental safeguards within the planning system, in its response to a select committee report.

Mar 12, 2026

New police unit to protect local election candidates from intimidation launched

Police will be better equipped to protect candidates from abuse, intimidation, and violence under new measures announced ahead of the May local and devolved elections.

Mar 12, 2026

Council ends standoff with Ombudsman over recommended financial remedies in homelessness cases

Leicester City Council has ended a standoff with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and agreed to pay recommended financial remedies in two homelessness cases.

Mar 12, 2026

Government issues Structural Changes Order for Surrey, alongside further reorganisation guidance

The Government has issued a Structural Changes Order for Surrey, signalling the next stage of reorganisation for the county.

Mar 12, 2026

Police Scotland fined £66,000 for mishandling sensitive personal data

Police Scotland has been fined £66,000 and issued with a formal reprimand after the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found the force guilty of serious failures in the handling of highly sensitive personal data.

Mar 12, 2026

Senedd passes BSL (Wales) Bill in step toward integrating British Sign Language as part of Welsh society

The Senedd has passed the British Sign Language (Wales) Bill, which will establish a new framework to promote and support the use of British Sign Language in Wales.

Mar 12, 2026

Court of Appeal rules on whether s.289 appeals are "first appeals" or "second appeals"

The correct test to be used by the High Court or the Court of Appeal when deciding whether to grant permission to bring an appeal to the Court of Appeal under s.289(6) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is that laid down in CPR 52.6, not CPR 52.7, Lord Justice Holgate has decided.

Mar 12, 2026

Legal action over park cafés transfer launched against City of London Corporation

Lawyers representing a couple who run three independent cafés around Hampstead Heath that are due to be taken over by a chain have submitted an application for judicial review against the City of London Corporation.

Mar 12, 2026

Acquiring authority loses Upper Tribunal battle over effect of defect in title

The London Borough of Southwark has seen the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) reject an argument that a lease defect meant it need not compensate the owner of a building affected by compulsory purchase.

Mar 12, 2026

High Court rejects challenge to decision by council to give planning permission to developer for new slip road

A local resident has lost a High Court attempt to take Canterbury City Council to judicial review over the impact of a new slip road on a park-and-ride site.

Mar 12, 2026

Administrative Justice Council issues final report on digitisation and tribunals

The Administrative Justice Council (AJC) has made 11 recommendations that it said would improve access to the tribunals system and its use of digital technology.

Mar 12, 2026

Charity threatens legal action against council over flags on lampposts

A charity has sent a pre-action letter to North Northamptonshire Council urging it to use statutory powers to tackle flags displayed on lampposts and other highway structures.

Mar 11, 2026

Senedd passes Building Safety (Wales) Bill

The Senedd has this week (10 March) passed the Building Safety (Wales) Bill, which will establish a new building safety regime for residents of shared buildings across Wales, regardless of building height or tenure.

Mar 11, 2026

Police and Crime Commissioner launches legal challenge after police and crime panel censure

West Sussex’s Police and Crime Commissioner has launched a judicial review challenge against Sussex’s Police and Crime Panel after councillors censured her for attending a protest about plans to house asylum seekers at an army camp.

Mar 11, 2026

Number of judicial review applications at “highest” since 2017, Government data shows

The Ministry of Justice recorded 1,100 judicial review applications between October and December 2025, representing a 56% increase compared with the same period in 2024.

Mar 11, 2026

MO issues section 5 report on empty homes and second homes council tax premium

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council will next week (18 March) consider a report issued by its Monitoring Officer under section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 which suggests the local authority acted unlawfully in relation to its Empty Homes and Second Homes Council Tax Premium…

Mar 11, 2026

Campaigners threaten district council with legal challenge over approval of plans for football stadium complex

A campaign group has sent Cherwell District Council a pre-action protocol letter warning of a potential legal challenge over the local authority's approval of plans for Oxford United’s new football stadium complex.

Mar 11, 2026

Go beyond public sector equality duty to strengthen community cohesion, LGA tells councils

While councils have legal responsibilities to promote and maintain community cohesion as set out in the Public Sector Equality Duty, it cannot be reduced to compliance alone – “it has to be more than simply meeting a statutory duty”, the Local Government Association has said.

Mar 11, 2026

Administrative Court practice statement on opposed applications for extensions of time to apply to all London work except planning cases

The Judge in Charge of the Administrative Court has issued a practice statement on opposed applications for extensions of time that will apply from now on to all of the court’s work in London, except in Planning Court cases.

Mar 10, 2026

LGA publishes short guide to publicity during pre-election period

The Local Government Association has published a guide providing advice and guidance on the publicity restrictions that should be observed by local authorities during the pre-election period.

Mar 10, 2026

Campaigners call for reform to “strengthen, rather than dilute” legal foundations for children with SEND

A coalition of organisations led by ‘Save Our Children’s Rights’ has announced plans for a national demonstration calling on the Government to “protect and strengthen” the legal rights of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Mar 10, 2026

Council wrongly stopped allowance payments after agreeing to provide adoption support for two sisters for life, Ombudsman finds

An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found that although Luton Borough Council agreed to provide adoption support for life for two sisters, it wrongly stopped allowance payments for the eldest, and reduced payments for the younger sibling “without any notice or…

Mar 10, 2026

Charity Commission loses judicial review bid over Ombudsman plans to report failures to Parliament

A High Court judge has refused the Charity Commission for England and Wales permission to bring a judicial review challenge over reports issued by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) concerning its handling of safeguarding complaints.

Mar 10, 2026

City council to put £27m in reserves to cover potential equal pay claims

Coventry City Council is to put £27m into reserves over the next three years to cover the potential costs associated with equal pay claims lodged against the local authority.

Mar 10, 2026

Ombudsman warns on gap in Wales between number of people identifying as carers and those in receipt of formal needs assessments

Despite improvements in post-assessment communications and practical support for carers, a gap still remains between the number of people who identify as carers and those receiving formal needs assessments in Wales.

Mar 10, 2026

New platform to give care-experienced and adopted people better access to their records to be launched later in 2026

CoramBAAF and the Archives and Records Association (ARA) have announced a partnership to make it easier for adopted and care-experienced people to find and access records relating to their adoption and time in care.

Mar 10, 2026

Court of Appeal to hear dispute over closure of drop-in centre for adults with mental health difficulties

The Court of Appeal will this week (12 March) hear an appeal over the High Court’s dismissal of a judicial review challenge to the closure of a drop-in centre for adults with mental health difficulties.

Mar 10, 2026

Supreme Court to hear key case next week on homelessness and procedural rights

The Supreme Court will next week (17 March) consider whether a local authority’s duty to house homeless applicants under section 193 of the Housing Act 1996 ends by operation of law or whether the local authority is required to make a decision that the duty has ended.

Mar 09, 2026

Senedd nominates next Auditor General for Wales

The Senedd has nominated Catherine Mealing Jones, currently chief executive at Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, for appointment as the next Auditor General for Wales.

Mar 09, 2026

Schools and social care should be at front of queue for additional funding flowing to Wales following Spring Statement, say councils

Welsh council leaders have called for schools and social care to be “at the front of the queue” for any additional funding flowing to Wales following the UK Government’s Spring Statement.

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